1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a valve assembly of a water dispenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A water dispenser or beverage dispenser is an implement for automatically dispensing drinking water or beverages, which is installed in a house, an office, or a public lot for domestic or commercial use. Valve assemblies of beverage dispensers which are available for commercial business usually employ actuators, and one of such actuators is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,849 issued to Credle, Jr. on Apr. 19, 1994.
A water dispenser is also utilized in a house or an office. Recently, it has been suggested that various kinds of beverage dispensers be installed in refrigerators. A refrigerator is an appliance for storing a variety of foodstuffs in freezing and/or refrigerating temperatures in order to maintain freshness of the foodstuffs for a long period of time. The refrigerator is generally provided with compartments for storing foodstuffs, i.e., freezer and refrigerating compartments for storing foodstuffs in freezing and refrigerating temperatures respectively. The freezer and refrigerating compartments are supplied with cooling air, which are cooled by an evaporator of the refrigerator.
The cooling air is directly supplied by a fan to the interior of the freezer compartment from the evaporator. Some of the cooling air is supplied to the interior of the refrigerating compartment, and some to the interior of the refrigerating compartment. The temperature of the cooling air is a little raised so that it is a refrigerating air, as it flows through a duct internally formed to the refrigerator and is supplied to the refrigerating compartment. The freezer and refrigerating compartments are respectively installed with doors at their front sides to allow foodstuffs to be put in and taken out.
In addition, an amount of drinking water is stored in the interior of the refrigerating compartment. The water is filled up in a reservoir provided in the refrigerating compartment. In order for a user to drink the water stored within the refrigerating compartment, the door should be opened to take out the container filled with the drinking water. However, the refrigerating efficiency of the refrigerator is lowered by frequently opening the door of the refrigerating compartment.
Recently, in order to overcome the above-mentioned efficiency problem, water dispensers have been suggested in which drinking water can be taken out from refrigerating compartments even without opening the door of the refrigerating compartments. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a conventional water dispenser 100 of a refrigerator which is installed to the front side of a refrigerating compartment door 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the valve assembly 110 comprises a valve body 120 having an inlet 122 connected to a reservoir (not shown) installed to the inner side of the compartment door 10 and an outlet 124 penetrating through the lower surface thereof, a valve spool 130 for opening and closing the outlet 124, a valve cap 140 for closing an upper portion of the valve body 120, and a lever 150 for moving the valve spool 130 upward and downward by pivoting motions thereof.
The valve spool 130 comprises a valve rod 134 which is connected to the lever 150 by a hinge 132 so as to move upward and downward by the pivoting motions of the lever 150, a packing member 136 which is attached to the lower end of the rod 134 to close the outlet 124 of the valve body 120 when the lever 150 is released, and a spring 138 which is installed between the lower surface of the valve cap 140 and the packing member 136 to exert a biasing force upon the rod 134. The inlet 122 of the valve body 120 communicates with the inner side of the door 10 and is connected to the reservoir attached to the inner side of the door 10. The water contained in the reservoir is introduced into the interior of the valve body 110 through the inlet 122, and the inlet 122 is always filled with the water.
When a user grips a cup 20 and pushes the lever 150 by the cup 20 in order to drink the water contained in the reservoir, the lever 150 is pivoted to move the rod 134 upward by overcoming the biasing force of the spring 138, thereby opening the outlet 124. Then, the water contained in the reservoir flows through the outlet 124 and fills the cup 20 positioned below the outlet 124.
For sanitary reasons, a disposable cup such as a paper cup or a paper-envelope cup is generally used as a cup for the water dispenser. However, since the paper cup 20 is made of a soft material, it is apt to be deformed when the lever 150 is pushed by means of the paper cup 20. Therefore, the user usually pushes the lever 150 by the hand which grips the paper cup 20. In that case, however, it has a disadvantage that the hand is also apt to be wet by the water dropping from the outlet 124 of the valve assembly 110. Further, the large space occupied by the valve assembly 110 to be connected to the reservoir of the refrigerating compartment impair the space efficiency of the refrigerating compartment. In addition, deposits which adulterate the water contained in the reservoir can be formed in the inner surface of the inlet 122 of the valve body 120 over time.
A water dispenser which is directed to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Laid Open No. 95-33940. As shown in FIG. 2, the water dispenser 200 comprises a reservoir 210 for storing water, a dispensing panel 220, in which the reservoir 210 is positioned upside down, a dispensing port 230, and a lever 250 for operating the dispensing port 230.
A spout 212 for pouring water therethrough is formed in the reservoir 210 and is engaged with a cap 214. A valve 216 is mounted in the cap 214 such that when the valve 216 is opened, the water contained in the reservoir 210 is exhausted through the spout 212. The spout 212 of the reservoir 210 is inserted into the connecting hole 222 of the dispensing panel 220. The interior of the connecting hole 222 is maintained filled with the water.
Fixed to the lower end of the connecting hole 222 is a fixing plate 232 in which a plurality of first dispensing holes 234 is formed, and positioned below the fixing plate 232 is an moving plate 236 in which a plurality of second dispensing holes 238 are formed. The first dispensing holes 234 communicate with the second dispensing holes 238 by the movement of the moving plate 236, and the water contained in the reservoir 210 is exhausted outside the reservoir 210.
A bias spring 240 is installed at one side of the moving plate 236 and exerts a biasing force on the moving plate 236. The moving plate 236 is moved by the biasing force so that the first and second dispensing holes 234 and 238 are closed and the outflow of the water is stopped. The moving plate 236 is moved by a lever 250 installed at one side thereof. The lever 250 is pivotally mounted to the inner side of the dispensing panel 220 by means of a hinge 252. By the pivotal movement of the lever 250, the moving plate 236 is moved so as to connect the first and second holes 234 and 238, thus overcoming the biasing force of the bias spring 240. Provided at the inner side of the moving plate 236 is a dispensing nozzle 242 which provides a water flowing path in the interior of the reservoir 210.
When the lever 250 is pushed by a cup or by a hand, the lever 250 is pivoted. Then, the moving plate 236 is moved and the biasing force of the bias spring 240 is overcomed. As a result, the first and second holes 234 and 238 communicate with each other so that the water contained in the reservoir 210 drops.
However, in the water dispenser 200, the fixing plate 232 and the moving plate 236 must be sealed when the first and second holes 234 and 238 are closed. In case the fixing plate 232 and the moving plate 236 are not sealed, the water contained in the reservoir 210 leaks between the fixing plate 232 and the moving plate 236. Therefore, a considerable amount of frictional force is generated between the fixing plate 232 and the moving plate 236, and a large force is needed to pivot the lever 250. Further, the dispenser 200 is apt to be filthy due to deposits formed in the connecting holes 222.